TEFSCBSS Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Hunt for the Killer (Part 2)

At this point, no one had the energy to stay in the basement any longer. Everyone scrambled to climb out as quickly as possible.

Outside by the tombstone, Zhao Si was waiting with a smile, handing out small pieces of paper to each person as they came out, no matter who they voted for—just write down their names first.

The temperature outside wasn’t as cold as it was down below, and the space felt much bigger. The air was freer. A group of big men, sitting in pairs or small groups, were either celebrating their narrow escape or feeling a mix of relief and frustration—maybe even thinking about scolding Zhao Si.

Qingjin Old Three nudged Old Boss with his elbow. “Big Brother, you saved my life! I’ll be your servant in my next life!”

“Right, thanks to Big Brother! We were too slow to react just now,” said Bearded Old Two, lowering his head in shame.

Song Dazhou wearily waved his hand. He was truly exhausted.

As soon as Su Li stepped forward, Song Dazhou realized that the ghost woman was likely a human in disguise. Didn’t the script shop hire two actors, a man and a woman? He remembered how the middleman, Pang Dahai, had brought Su Li and two children here, even patting one of the kids’ heads.

Now Zhao Si was in front of them, and the other ghost woman seemed familiar—probably that little girl. Acting so convincingly, they must be out of their minds.

Sigh, it was his fault for never expecting such an “immersive” game. Even someone as tough as him could barely stand seeing someone covered in blood standing behind him.

Thinking about how he’d have to keep coming to this script shop for the next three months, maybe even longer, he felt a bit queasy inside.

He was over thirty now, a father of two, and yet, despite being in the prime of life, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was at risk of an early death.

Before he could lament any further, Zhao Si waved his hand to get their attention. “Everyone, time is of the essence. If you know who you want to vote for, please do so now.”

He pointed to the ground. “These four boxes here are labeled with the names of the four suspects. Just drop your slip of paper into the box of the person you believe is the killer.”

The group looked around at each other, uncertain how to choose.

“Wang Xiucai, who are you voting for?”

“Yeah, come on, Wang Xiucai, give us a hint!”

A few of the big men turned to Wang Qingmu, eager for guidance. Wang Qingmu felt a rush of satisfaction—this was his time to shine. But on the outside, he feigned some hesitation. Luckily, the four suspects were still down in the basement and hadn’t come up with them.

He cleared his throat. “Since you all trust me, I’ll share my humble thoughts with you. But these are just my personal opinions, so feel free to take them as a reference.”

His politeness and grace earned the approval of the others, who gave him respectful nods. Several people even started to think about introducing their sisters to him.

Wang Qingmu continued, laying out his suspicions about Li Tiezhu and Han Yueyi.

“Everyone, I suspect Li Tiezhu strongly. Not only did he bring up the idea of a ‘poop contest’ in the script, but his actions today in the cemetery raise numerous red flags!”

“I suspect he is seeking revenge for Yanran’s death. He used the victim’s childhood habits to set up a trap, lured her to the outhouse, and then killed her using prearranged mechanisms. As for his claim that Yanran came to him in a dream and asked him to do various things—well, that sounds entirely made up. It’s a lie to mislead us.”

The group nodded in agreement, feeling the same way.

“And as for the bride, I’m also suspicious. After all, she grew up with the groom, so she must have known the victim’s habits. Also, she was always in the backyard, which seemed like a perfect alibi, but later we discovered the use of traps for murder, so everyone becomes a suspect.”

“If we need to find a motive for her, I think her sister might be the key. We all saw how Liu Tuohu hated the bride, yet he was crying and mourning Yanran’s death. And we know that Yanran had only just returned home. The bride had been the most favored daughter of the family for over ten years. When things changed so suddenly, could she have become jealous? And when she heard about the change in the engagement, could it have sparked hatred, leading her to kill her sister and then her fiancé?”

The group nodded again, agreeing with his theory.

Hmm, but wait—what if all of this was correct? How could they choose between the two?

“I think both of them have their motives. But I suspect Li Tiezhu more. The bride’s motivation is just more complex, and that could be a red herring to confuse us.”

“Now, I’ll go ahead and vote. You all should think it over and cast your votes accordingly.”

With that, Wang Qingmu elegantly turned and dropped his vote into the box for Li Tiezhu.

The others gathered in small groups, debating whether to vote for Li Tiezhu or Han Yueyi.

One by one, about ten people voted, most following Wang Qingmu’s lead and voting for Li Tiezhu, with a smaller group voting for Han Yueyi.

Wang Qingmu observed this with satisfaction. His careful persuasion had paid off. He eagerly awaited the twenty taels of silver he was sure to earn, already planning to bring his wife next time to show off his cleverness and skills.

But as the saying goes, “When happiness is at its peak, disaster is near.”

Just as Wang Qingmu was feeling pleased with himself, an urgent shout came from the cemetery.

“Wait… wait! Don’t vote yet!”

It was Wang Bokao’s voice. Everyone turned to look, and saw Wang Bokao being carried over by Er Tong, his silk clothes now covered in dust and twigs, looking like a beggar.

“Wang Gongzi, what happened? Where have you been?” someone asked.

“Why did you just come out? We’re almost done voting,” another person asked.

“Done voting?” Wang Bokao’s eyes widened. He surveyed the group and counted—there were twenty-four people, and fifteen had already voted, leaving ten still undecided.

He didn’t know who had voted for whom, but he had to grab onto this last bit of hope.

“Everyone, listen to me! The reason I was late coming out is that I found crucial evidence in the basement!”

“What?” Wang Qingmu exclaimed, jumping up with a bad premonition in his heart.

The group exchanged confused glances.

Wang Qingmu motioned for Er Tong to place him next to a tree, leaning against it as he tried to stand, his limbs still numb from his time under the bed earlier.

“Everyone, I found some writing under the wooden bed, as well as some hidden letters. They mention three people: Liu Tuohu, Wuzhen, and the deceased Yanran.”

“Or rather—she may not have died at all!”

“She didn’t die?!”

The group gasped in shock. Even Wang Qingmu’s eyes widened in disbelief, as he didn’t have enough concrete evidence to reach that conclusion himself.

“Yes, this is all a setup—a plot to frame innocent people.”

“In the letters, it mentions that Liu Tuohu was once a poor boy who fell in love with a girl from the same village. During their relationship, Liu Tuohu took money from her family to do business. He only returned home after several years. Now, their son and Xiaohong are their children.”

“But Liu Tuohu grew wealthy from his business and became unsatisfied with the simple village girl. He began to indulge in a lavish lifestyle and soon had an affair with a young lady from a merchant’s family. She gave him a child—Yanran.”

“And Yanran was born even before Xiaohong.”

“Unfortunately, the merchant’s family was sharp enough to see that Liu Tuohu was unreliable, so they never considered marrying their daughter to him. They even abandoned their child and left her with Liu Tuohu.”